Pictures of the Past
by LadyOfTheBlackWaters
Summary: Chapter 7 up! "I need you to help me… it will save Oerba. It will possibly save Gran Pulse! Matron… everyone will be okay. Fang and Vanille will not ever have to become Ragnarok…" What happens when Bhakti shows Lighting a picture...? Slight AU, Flaire.
1. Chapter 1

**Edited as of May 12, 2o11**

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Final Fantasy 13 because if I did I would have made a lot more interaction between Light and Fang. :P

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Lightning didn't like being sick. Her head felt like it was full of cotton balls from those sheep that roamed Archylte Steppe, while her body was switching between being too warm and too cold. Already, the strawberry haired woman had been forced to remove most of her outer layering of cloths to cool down, before feeling as if she would freeze and having to pull the blanket up… then being unbearably hot again. It was a vicious cycle.

Fang, the one who had volunteered to watch 'Sunshine' while the rest went off to collect Trapezohedron and some medicines for their ill leader, had instructed the solider to sleep while she went off the scout. "How could I possibly sleep in a Cie'th riddled village…?" Lightning grumbled as she sat up for the hundredth time, rubbing her forehead with a glove free hand while the clean sheets pooled around her bare waist. Bhakti, Vanille's little pet robot/bunny thing, whizzed around on the floor by the bunk bed, every once in awhile careening into the pole or Blaze Edge's case before righting itself and going in a different direction.

On a normal day, this would have driven the strawberry haired solider crazy and she would have promptly set up a cage of sorts. However today she just didn't care, even as the little robot slammed headfirst into the wall, making the bookshelf above shudder at the abuse to it's wall. Bhakti stopped for a second, making quiet beeping sounds before once again slamming into the same wall. Lightning raised a pale eyebrow; had the thing finally broken?

"What are you doing?" questioned the woman, pushing the covers away to stand on shaky limps. What a terrible time to be getting sick… they should be on Eden now, not camping out in Oerba while her body fought against her…though it was partially her fault… maybe all those all nighters, constant stress, and giving up on food so that Hope and Vanille could have more wasn't the _best_ idea.

Lightning was brought out her musing when something heavy fell to the floor with a very loud thump. Making beeping sounds of triumph, Bhakti circled around the leather bound book. After three laps around, the robot rolled over to Lightning then scooted back to the book. Blatant: Pick it up.

On a good day, the strawberry solider would have brought the book to the bed. Today, being a bad day, Lightning sat down on the floor ignoring the chill that latched to her bare thighs and legs. The item was old, leather cracking and chipping as pale hands rubbed dust away from the cover. There was no writing on the front, only a simple engraving. Dirt and fluff balls fluttered up as she opened the book to the first page; it was a photo album. The pictures were yellowing and crinkled, hastily taped onto each old page.

The pages were filled with pictures of the citizens of Oerba, of the flowering landscape, ocean, and what looked like windmills. There was a group picture of what appeared to be everyone in the village gathered in the center square. If Lightning didn't know better, she would have thought them clueless about the War of Transgression that had been taken place at the time. They all looked so happy… She easily spotted a much younger Fang and Vanille near the edge of the picture with another four children. They looked oddly familiar…

Flipping the page, Light settled into comfier position, the leather photo album resting on her crossed legs.

The next three pages were mostly of landscapes and flowers of the actual town and surrounding areas. The pictures of a very old fashion sailboat and windmill intrigued the woman more than anything. She had only seen them in books. The cultural garb was also very interesting (though she was surprised to discover that not everyone wore such garments. Some of the citizens wore more modern attires); it had taken everyone some time to get use to the cloths the two Pulsians wore. The clothes had not helped when Lightning had discovered she had a small crush on Fang. The sari tended to slip around during fights and made her eyes look at the curves of the other woman too much for anyone's own good.

Quickly pushing the thought of the rather annoying (and beautiful) wild haired warrior aside, Lightning flipped through the next few pages: Couples, group photos, random shots of the children playing in the water (one looked a lot like Snow…), events and parties that took place.

The last two pages made Lightning's stomach twitch and her mouth slowly open in a very un-Farron like gesture. The pictures on that particular page must have been the children of the Orphanage that Fang and Vanille had grown up in. One boy, much larger than the rest with a mop of blonde hair had his arms around two girls that looked like siblings. All three had large grins on their dirt covered faces, making it hard to completely make out the features.

Another yellowing picture had slightly overlapped the first, cutting out most of another male causally strolling behind the three. The offending bit of paper had a twelve year old appearing Fang piggy backing another boy, but like the other, the face of the mysterious child was covered by a blurry thumb. Most of them were like that on the page. The children were either very messy, or the photo was damaged… or they were missing completely. It appeared that any good picture had been torn out.

Lightning felt something nudge her knee as Bhakti pushed into it gently. Stuck to his eye lens, was presumably one of the missing bits of paper. With careful fingers, the woman slowly removed the tape and photo, flipping it over to see who was in it… and promptly choking.

The picture, worn and crinkled with what looked like tear stains, was of two young woman in their late teens. One of the girls was Fang, donning her beautiful sari with an arm slung across the shoulders of the other, shorter by a few inches. Her lips were pressed to the girl's cheek in a sneak kiss, while the other girl blushed. Lightning couldn't take her eyes off the other's face. It was… it was…

"That's me…"

"Almost." the solider jumped at the accented voice that intruded her thoughts. "You're lucky it was me and not a Cie'th." Fang smiled sadly as she strode into the room, leaning her spear against the wall. Leaning down, the wild haired woman went to pluck the picture from Lightning's grasp. Only the picture wouldn't come loose. "I'll give it back. I'm just helping you off the floor and back into bed and I would very well like to see what belongs to me." Was the teasing remark.

Because Lightning really did not think she could lift herself up, she allowed Fang to help her back onto her bunk. She did, however, snatch the picture back once she was settled on the thin mattress. For fear of it getting damaged more, Fang let it go. "I always wondered where that one went. Neither me or Vanille had it." Scooting her friend's legs over, the Pulsian sat on the edge of the bed.

"Who is this?" Lightning asked, staring at the smiling and happy face of her look alike. All the features were the same, just younger and less…strained? Her hair was different though; it was braided over her left shoulder instead of styled, with several beads tied into the locks. The color in the picture had faded somewhat, but she was sure it was also a different color.

Fang's cocky smile disappeared as she gently took the photo back, rubbing her thumb over the face of the girl. Light felt a small blush creep up into her cheeks. "Her name was Averia." The love and affection that laced the woman's normal cocky and flippant drawl caused the elder Farron's chest to clench. Part of her wanted to reach out and snatch the picture away, just to make the woman stop sounding like someone had murdered her puppy. The other half couldn't bear the thought…

"She was killed, along with Laura, Troy, and Vincent." Maybe the puppy thing hadn't been too far off the mark. As Fang said the names, she reached into her sari to pull out a small, plastic case, handing it to the strawberry haired woman.

They were some of the missing pictures. One was of a girl that resembled Serah sitting on the shoulders of a behemoth of a man, another of Vanille and a version of Hope a few years older than he was now. A third was of a young boy with a head full of curly hair, holding onto an adults hand. There was one of herself, no, Averia, leaning against a stone wall overlooking the sea while Fang's arms were wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

A much larger picture was of the whole group, minus the little boy, all geared up with backpacks and weapons. Despite the smiles on their faces, they all looked less than happy. "That was the last picture we had together. It had been a planned camping and scouting trip gone wrong. Vanille and myself were the only ones to make it back. After that, I planned to become a L'cie to protect her." Fang ran a hand through her dark hair in slight frustration. "Etro… You wouldn't believe the shock we had when we arrived at the Vestige and saw Serah. Spitting image of Laura!"

"This can't be happening." Light mumbled, looking through the pictures. Her eyes kept drawing to the ones of Fang and Averia. "I must be having some weird dream because of the fever."

"Well, you're sounding more like yourself." the other woman chuckled, reclaiming and replacing the pictures in the plastic case. One long fingered hand pressed against the soldier's forehead. "Though you still have one nasty of a fever." Lightning forced the hand away and turned on her side, away from her L'cie friend.

"I'm not a little kid."

"Well, you are five hundred years younger than me." A small pillow landed on her lap, which Lightning had thrown in an attempt to shut the woman up but the world was spinning crazily. The weight on the bed vanished, and she must have dozed for a moment because the next second there was a cool cloth on her forehead and Fang was pulling the blankets up to her shoulders.

Something inside of the soldier's mind forced itself through the haze that had settled in like fog, and it wasn't the freezing rag on her head. She waited until Fang had pulled herself onto her own bunk, listening to the protesting groans of the frame. Eventually, the woman settled. "Hey Fang?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you love Averia?"

There was silence. A shift in the mattress…"I would have given my life for her."

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"Averia" **was supposedly going to be Lightning's real name instead of Claire in the beginning stages of the game. It's a type of flower.**

"Troy", "Laura", and "Vincent" **are the names of the English voice actors for Snow, Serah, and Hope.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Edited as of May 12, 2o11**

I was actually shocked how many people were interested in this. xD Thank you all so much and much love to everyone! I wish to huggle all of you. :3

The story took on two very different plot lines as I wrote into later chapters. One was very humorous, the other really angsty. And personally, I couldn't stand either. xD So I mixed them and pulled strings and now we have this: just gonna let the characters write themselves. They actually play nice. o.o; Also, I have no idea how long this story is gonna be. I was going to make it short, but it's in the air and out of my hands.

Enough of my babbling, to the story! SPOILER WARNING! (in disclaimer and actually story)

**_Disclaimer_:** I do not own Final Fantasy 13 or any of the characters. I only own what's in my mind (which, ha ha, I can't get sued for), and if I owned it, I would have made Fang kiss Lightning or had a secret ending where Vanille and Fang came back. I mean, this is a game I would have actually worked for a secret ending. :I

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_Is it a good thing that Lightning knows about Averia now? _Fang questioned idly, running her thumb along the edges of the plastic case, the picture smiling down at her. Well, she couldn't have really stopped it from happening; she had little control over Bhakti. She didn't know anyone who would not be curious if a mysterious book fell to the floor.

Holding the pictures against her chest, the wild haired warrior reclined back against the wall, legs stretched out in front of her in a position of appearing totally relaxed. On the inside Fang's emotions danced between relief, sadness, frustration, and worry. Normal things she often hid behind her cocky smirk and self knowing sex appeal.

When Fang had first seen Lightning in PalumPolum, she had had to stop herself from acting like a complete child and sobbing. It was cruelest joke Etro could ever play on anyone. First Serah, Dajh, Snow, then Lightning? Hell even Hope! Seeing the pink haired soldier had brought many painful memories, but she had forced them back and away; Vanille was in danger and she had to save her.

Without much thought, she had followed after Light ("And then there was three"), and her inner turmoil pretty much dispersed. Lightning Farron and Oerba Mei Averia had many differences. Where the soldier was cold, the Pulsian had been warm. Light fought like she had wielded a weapon sense birth… Averia had learned to fight after awhile, but the girl tripped over her own feet and refused to kill anything she didn't have too. Soldier Girl was as violent as one could be while staying sane.

Fang snorted and blushed vaguely. When she had checked Light's brand…she didn't think a person could get any redder ("It's on her chest? That's kinda creepy if you ask me! No wonder I couldn't spot it though…" "Vanille, your's is pretty much on your ass and you actually looked?" "Of course I did. I didn't want to be the only one with a brand on their lower body").

A groan sounded from the lowest bed and a quick look over the side showed a very pale soldier girl, strawberry bangs sticking to her face. Delicate eyebrows crinkled in the center of Light's forehead, and Fang could just make out her eyes darting behind the lids; a fever induced nightmare.

"Bhakti, I completely think you are evil now." The woman muttered as she carefully rolled off her perch to check on their appointed leader, her thick accent holding an edge. The little robot merely chirped while whizzing away from the her to run head long into the yellow couch that circled the opposite wall of the living area. "Sitting on that floor for Etro knows how long probably didn't help a thing, and then you had to overload her brain?" Fang carefully ran the cloth over the pinkette's face and down her neck. She'd have to ask her sister if there were any shirts she could wear so they could wash the red-brown sweater vest.

Vanille had outdone herself. With the first sign of the decision of staying on Gran Pulse for a bit before going to Eden, the younger Pulsian had rushed back to Oerba with Snow in tow to completely clean the little home that had once been their's. She had washed the sheets, dusted, organized, while Snow fixed everything that was in need of desperate repair: _"We need a place to bunker down once in awhile. Sleeping on the ground every night isn't good for our spirits! Or Sazh's back!"_

"There we go Soldier Girl, doubt you'd be happy to stay inside another day." Fang placed the cloth back on Lightning's forehead, stroking the fair locks away, trying to get rid of the nightmare plaguing her. The woman's face relaxed visibly. "Wonder what demons you are battling now?"

"Hey man! Careful with those feet. You'll trip the alarm!"

"I know where it is." An obnoxious buzzing sound echoed through the small house, causing the strawberry haired girl to shift. Fang quickly crossed the room and unplugged the little yellow wire above the door. "Woops. Guess not."

Snow peeked through the door, throwing a fearful glance at the bed. The large blond heaved a sigh at the site of the sleeping Farron. "Sorry, sorry. I thought I had missed it."

Behind him trotted the youngest member of the group, his green-blue eyes wide with worry. "How is she doing?"

"About the same."

Vanille and Sazh wandered in last, tossing weapons in the corner. With the several alarms Sazh and Hope had rigged around the Pulsians' old home to warn if any Cie'th bumbled too close, the group was allowed a little relaxation. Trip wires, motion sensitive lights, small traps… the little apartment was probably the safest place any L'cie could wish for. Watches were still mandatory, but everyone was more at ease, and no one had to sit and stare out the doorway for hours.

The perky red head bounced over to the bed, laying her palm flat against Lightning's head. Her lips puckered in mild worry, her hand glowing bright with a Esuna spell. It was her fifth attempt sense the woman had fallen ill. Hope had even thrown in a few cures and combined spells. Magic just didn't work on sicknesses started by the body itself.

Potions were completely out of the question after the soldier failed to keep one down the first time.

"Unless Soldier Girl's fever breaks, we'll be staying here another day." the older man groaned as he settled onto the couch, lifting his feet so Bhakti could roll under. It rolled away, and around, and…

_Oh shit._

….towards the leather bound photo album that sat in the middle of the floor. Fang quickly waltzed over and picked the item up, tucking it under her arm. Of course, the move didn't go unnoticed by, well, anyone. Vanille's clover eyes widened as she saw the item in question.

Of course, Snow had to go and ask, "What's that you got there, Fang?"

Green met green, a lightning fast and silent conversation flashing between both Pulse before the wild haired woman answered cheekily, "Naked photos of me and Vanille." She heard the satisfying sound of Hope choking on his glassful of water and the silence from the other two men. Vanille covered her flaming cheeks with one hand, the other patting the younger boy on the back.

"You're kidding…" the brawler started.

Fang flashed him a toothy grin. "Ye're free to take a look. It will be on my bed." A silent threat. The three bunks closets to the door were the girl's, and under no circumstance, were the boys allowed to enter, climb in, or paw through. Vanille had gone far enough to set up a piece of cloth that acted as a curtain. She had been the one to deliver the threat in the first place, the other two females not really caring.

The photo album was shoved under the pillow, left there to be forgotten. Or so Fang and Vanille hoped.

OOOOO

Fog swirled around Lightning's bare ankles, dancing up her calves to tickle the hem of her black shorts. Gazing around at the completely blackness, the soldier muttered, "Well, I'm pretty sure this isn't where I fell asleep." Taking a step, the ground under her feet held. Warmth pulsed up from some hidden source, making the surface feel like heated marble.

"I guess this could be considered a nightmare." A soft voice answered. Lightning spun, hand going to Blaze Edge… which was not present. If it had been, she would have accidentally killed Hope…

A much older Hope.

The boy, no man, stood feet before her in the blackness, the fog moving away from his feet like water around a rock. He easily stood a head taller than her, with silver haired cut in messy layers and eyes that were the exact opposite of her pupils; reddish gold. He wore a simple black tank top with messy jeans and an orange vest. Tied around his head, presumably for look over convenience was a beaded headband, adorned with a clutch of colorful feathers.

Lightning relaxed her stance. The man had no weapons of his own in view, and didn't look hostile. "Where am I?"

The Hope look alike scratched the back of his head. "We're in Limbo. You know, between life and death." Lightning gave him a deadpan look. "I'm not kidding. We're in the place where lost spirits go."

"Wonderful. I died."

"Not at all." The man had the audacity to chuckle. The way he drawled out his words, and the accent reminded her of someone…

"You're one of the villagers from the pictures."

"Vincent. Oerba Alex Vincent. And I will tell you I was the oldest in that group." the golden eyed doppelganger remarked. With a gesture of a true gentleman, Vincent held out his hand, ready to lead the other woman… somewhere. Lightning couldn't even begin to fathom where they could possibly go. Especially in [I]Limbo[/I].

"Why am I here?"

Vincent's hand didn't waver. His free hand, rose to his mouth so he could bite the tip of his thumb in a rather Hope-esc movement. How he fidgeted while he thought, how his eyes darted to the left, somehow made the Lightning at ease enough to slowly raise her hand. She wished she hadn't at his answer, "I don't know."

Before the strawberry haired fighter could protest, the area around the two exploded in a blast of light and warm air. The fog rolled away from where the two stood to be replaced with swaying green grass and colorful flowers. The sounds of splashing waves, talking, and laughing resounding through the once silence.

Lightning opened her eyes to stare at an unfamiliar village with windmills twirling in the ocean on their metal stilts. Children danced on Cie'th free streets with ribbons in their hands flapping in the ocean breeze. Flowers, hundreds upon hundreds of flowers. "Oerba." The soldier went to take a step closer, only to feel Vincent's hand still clutched around her own, trembling. His face had drained off all color, turning a ghostly grey, golden eyes clouded and unfocused.

"I didn't send us here."

"Excuse me?"

"I was trying to take you somewhere else." Vincent growled lowly, turning his gaze skywards. Fear turning into anger in an instant. "Someone else interfered. And I know exactly _who_." The golden eyes flickered shut, the grip from the older man's hand nearly making Lightning wince. What the hell was going on?

The sky lit up in an explosion of reds and black, yelling and screaming breaking the once beautiful scene. Above them, near the floating planet of Cocoon, a giant creature lashed out at the barrier tearing a large chunk from the soft, outer shell. However, it did not manage to destroy the planet completely before disappearing.

Lightning could only stare as the land around her warped. A fine crystal dusted coated the world in a blizzard of fragments, smothering the flowers. The once laughing and talking citizens of Oerba twisted and screamed as their bodies morphed into that of Cie'th. It was only when the grip on her hand disappeared that Light looked to her side, tearing her cerulean eyes from the nightmarish happenings below.

Vincent was gone. Something else reached up to grasp her hand. For once in her life sense she had been forced to grow up, Lightning screamed.

OOOOO

"When do you plan to tell them?" Vanille asked quietly, fingering the corner of one of her favorite pictures. In the damaged image was the red headed girl being carried by the Hope look alike. Vincent's face was contorted in a fake mask of pain and where his knees were was blurred as he pretended to wobble.

Fang leaned back on the yellow sofa, arms behind her head. Officially, it was only Fang's watch, but Vanille had stayed up to keep her company and do laundry. The girl needed something to do constantly. Lightning's fever hadn't broken, so the plan to stay for another day would allow the girl to make up for her double shift (Hope and her shared their guard duty and Sazh was staying behind in Fang's place).

"Ms. Sunshine already knows." answered Fang as she flicked at the two drying pieces of her sari hanging from a makeshift laundry line. Like hell she was going to hang it outside where the Cie'th could nab it.

Vanille looked up from her current washing, a kidnapped sweater vest, eyes wide. "Did she see the…um…smooch picture?"

"Yep."

"How did she react?"

"Like Lightning with a fever."

"Fang!" The warrior laughed quietly while her sister pouted. The eldest of their group gave a snore and both women quieted. It was never a good idea to wake Sazh up before or after his shift… the cranky old man he was. Giving the side of the room a look, the younger Pulsian poked the elder's thigh. "How did she react?"

"Didn't believe it at first. Said she was having a dream. Other than that, just peachy. Honestly, Vanille, I doubt she'll remember. Poor thing was kinda dazed."

Vanille pursed her lips. "How did you react?"

A black eyebrow rose, words forming on the woman's tongue before they were violently snatched away. A sharp yelp rang out through the small home and Fang was up in an instant, darting to the opposite side of the room to where Lightning thrashed on her bunk. The soldier's face was covered in sweat, sheets wound tightly around her legs and body as she groaned and kicked.

"Vanille!" Fang hissed, tilting her head towards where the boy's slept. In particular, Hope. The red head wasted no time, casting a simple sleep spell on the men while the raven haired warrior tried to wake Light. They did not need a cranky Sazh and a worried kid floating around.

Carefully taking her shoulders, the Fang gave them a firm shake. "Light!" The girl's eyes flew open. Fang should have predicted the next move, a right hook to the cheek that the woman really couldn't blame the other for doing. She would have impaled the person.

The Pulsian backed off, watching as their leader pulled herself to the far corner of the bed, curling up against the wall with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees like a frightened child.

"Oi Light, did you really have to hit me?" Fang groaned, watching as dull cerulean eyes blinked up over bare knee. Vanille stood by the door on alert, glancing down the steps.

"I…I didn't mean too." The pinkette mumbled, trailing a hand through her hair tiredly. Her body shook with small tremors, shivering against the chill of the sweat on her body. "Sorry."

Fang put on her best grin despite the throbbing in her jaw. "Ah, no worries. I've been hit by worst." The expression faded as she caught the tell tale signs of tear tracks on the soldier's pale cheeks. "You okay?" _Stupid question, Fang. Aren't you bloody brilliant? _Without waiting for an answer, Fang scooted across the mattress to where Lightning sat, and ignoring the glare/confused look pulled the strawberry haired soldier to her.

Lightning weakly struggled with small, hitching breaths. Fang was invading the woman's safety bubble, though the area had always been smaller for said warrior and Hope. When it was clear she wasn't going to be able to push the woman away, Light seemingly gave up, letting herself be pulled into the embrace.

Though stunned at how easy she gave in, Fang wrapped her arms securely around the pinkette, carding her hands through soft strands of hair. Resting her chin on of the soldier's head, the raven haired L'cie slowly began to rock her, making small 'shushing' sounds when the Farron's sobs grew louder, her body trembling. "It's okay, Light, it was just a dream." She whispered into pink hair. "Only a dream. Everything is fine, Light. Everyone's here and we're going to get Serah back."

Vanille watched the exchange from the door, keeping half her attention on lookout (surprisingly, she could do that), though her eyes were as wide as they could possibly become. Not often did Fang go into a…motherly mode. Defensive, yes. Anger, yep. Sister and/or comrade? More often.

Fang had only ever held two people like she was holding Lightning; herself and Averia.

But Vanille had never ever, ever, _ever_ heard the extra tone added to the motherly reassurance that she spoke to Lightning in. It was protective and soothing, but different then how the Yun would speak to her. There was hinted worry and something else lingering in her tone…

"Are you in there, Vanille?"

The red head looked up from her musing, startled, as Snow placed a large hand on her shoulder. When had he gotten up? She had cast them all to sleep!

The younger Pulsian threw a glance towards the bed, where her sister lay next to a sleeping and curled up Lightning, hand softly stroking hair comfortingly. "Ah! Don't look!" Vanille whisper yelped, running over to try and draw the curtain around the bunk. Fang snickered lightly. "How are you still awake?

Snow scratched the back of his blond head sheepishly revealing a ribbon tied to his wrist. Snow was the only person who would sleep with his equipment still on… "Fang woke me up. Asked if I could take her shift."

"She did? How long have I been zoning?"

"About ten minutes. Snow's been trying to get your attention for five now." The elder Pulsian teased in a whisper. Apparently in that time, she had finally coaxed their appointed leader to sleep and had wrapped herself in a separate blanket. "This doesn't bother you, right Snow?"

"Nah. Just don't try anything."

"Please, I happen to want to keep my head on my shoulders until I get to Barthandelus, thanks."

The much larger man looked down at the very confused red head, then back to Fang who had resumed her soothing motions on Light. "We'll explain in the morning." He grinned.

"You better, mister!"

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**Minor minor cliff hanger. :3 Thanks to all of you for the support! Leave a review if you'd like to! o/ Cookies to those who can guess where Vincent's clan name came from!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Edited as of May 12, 2o11**

Sorry for such a late and rather horrible chapter. I had so many ideas and planned to write them all... then got sick. ^-^; I have a horrid cold, which wrecks havoc with any sort of creativity I may or might have had. Hopefully not too many things are thrown at me!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 13. I'm having a hard time even completing the game!

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Waking 'Eclair' up had always been a challenge, especially on mornings that involved early rising to go to her school activities. The traditional shake of the shoulders, loud noises and name callings (even her mother using her full name), and alarm clocks never worked; and throwing water on her was unorthodox. So, Serah and her father had devised a way that worked even up to the days when 'Eclair' became 'Lightning'. The younger Farron or the late Zack Farron (most often both) would crouch on the side of the bed where the older sister was facing, and just stare at her.

And stare…

And stare…

And stare until she got up with an un-lady like curse (when she was older and still with a scolding 'Hey!' from her father) or rolled over to the opposite side of the mattress and proceeded to stumble to the bathroom. Her mother had once joined in on the daily wake up routine, before she passed away, and her father would tease Lightning about how she was much nicer to her mother and sister over him.

Thankfully, Lightning had grown accustomed to alarm clocks when she joined the military and the tactic was rarely employed by Serah anymore. It had died with their parents…

Or so the strawberry haired soldier had thought.

The familiar sensation of someone simply watching her sleep slowly stirred the woman from her rest. Her body felt like lead, a hint she hadn't shifted for several hours, but her head wasn't full of cotton balls and fluff, and her body was not wracked by chills or fever. Warm sunlight danced over her bare arms through some form of opening, along with the smell and sounds of waves crashing on stone and sand. There were other noises and scents Lightning could not place with her eyes closed, so she let the lids flutter open.

A grass green gaze met cerulean orbs over the side of the sheets and blankets that had been piled on top of Lightning's stomach. The girl, no older than eight or nine, was peeking up from her position by the bed on the floor, little chin resting on little hands and a shock of red hair pulled into twin pigtails at the back of her head. Her very familiar eyes were innocent and spoke a hundred questions, but only one left the small mouth, "Are finally ya awake?"

"Oerba Dia Vanille!" The girl made a small, squeaking 'eep' before she bolted from her spot and out the open door, and by the sounds, bowling into someone in her haste to make a quick getaway. The person, another female, let out a short yelp before feet pounded off with gleeful laughter.

Vanille….? Lightning gave a start, sitting up and nearly smashing her head into the wooden bunk above her. That couldn't have been Vanille. Vanille was, what, 17? That voice did not sound like any of their group either! And this was most defiantly _not_ where the strawberry haired soldier fallen asleep. It was too clean, no cob webs, broken glass, or rust, and the beams supporting the triple bunk beds were wooden and solid, not in desperate need of repair or with pipes hastily nailed to help support the weight.

Rolling off the bed (the rug was plush and warm on her bar knees and hands and why did it seem like a much further drop from the mattress?), Lightning looked around for her Blaze Edge. When she did not see it or any of the usual weapons, she slowly edged towards the next best thing; a carving knife on the table. Why anyone would leave a knife out in the open with a kidnappee- for that was what her soldier instincts told her she was- Lightning could never guess, but it felt nice to have some sort of defense besides her magic.

"Oh! Ah hope Vanille didn't wake you up. Ah warned that child." The scolding voice from before apologized causing Lightning to spin to a room she hadn't notice earlier. Standing by a metal box, was a woman not more than five or ten years older than the strawberry haired L'cie, though a foot or so taller, folding clothes in a long black, button up dress. Long hair, a similar shade of black, was pulled into a low ponytail that almost skimmed her knees.

With a kind smile, the black haired woman floated across the room, and with the reflexes of a snake, snatched the knife away from Lightning's fingers. "No need for that, dear. Ah am sorry if little Vanille startled you, she is just excited."

"Where am I?" Lightning growled, glaring into the yellow, almost catlike, eyes of her giant captor.

"You are in Oerba, dear, and under the care of myself and the elders. Ah am Edia Cramer, however everyone calls me Matron."

_She's….lying…. She has to be. We were the only ones in Oerba besides monsters and Cie'th._

_**But Vanille is just a little girl. You saw her with your very eyes. Look around, Farron. Oh, and Vanille is actually 19.**_

Lightning shook her head, feeling a headache beginning to form in the front of her head. Edia frowned, reaching over to gently brush a few stray hair's from the soldier's face. "Child, why don't we get you something to wear. Ah'm sure your sister would be glad to see you."

_My sister… Serah is in Crystal Stasis…_

Lightning stood in the middle of the room, deep in thought as the matron retreated to the previous room she had been working in, rummaging through the baskets of clothing articles and until she found suitable matches. A white, sleeveless, one piece dress that tied in the back by a belt and a pair of soft leather sandals dangled from the dark woman's hands, along with a plastic brush and hair ties. "You are a bit smaller than one of my other girl's, but not by much." Matron muttered, holding up the dress.

Maybe being taller made everyone seem smaller -which might explain Snow- for the dress would never fit her. It was made for a child. Maybe Serah could fit into it, though it would be short, but certainly not the soldier girl.

Lightning wasn't given a chance to argue as the dark woman pulled the dress over her head, over the small sleep shirt she had woken up in and making a 'boo' noise when her head reappeared through the neck. It fit.

In fact, it was too loose.

_Oh sweet Maker… What the hell is going on?_

OOOOO

"This isn't possible! How can I be thirteen?" Lightning stopped mid whine, covering her mouth with both hands. This was not how she was suppose to act yet she couldn't help it! Maybe these types of situations warranted different emotion displays?

She sat on the steps of the Orphanage, small knees drawn up to her flat chest, hand idly pulling at her hair. It wasn't even her hair; it was a darker pink, almost rose colored, while her eyes were no longer cerulean, but as blue as chipped sapphires.

But it was her face that had reflected back in the mirror. Her voice, albeit higher, that yelped in surprise and had her nearly toppling over the basket of clean laundry. Matron had swiftly instructed that the girl go get air while she got someone to find her sister. Lightning could feel the gazes that were shot through the window every few minutes.

_Only bright side of this is that my brand is gone. What happened? I know I fell asleep, so is this a dream? A very vivid dream? Did Vincent send me somewhere again?_

Lightning mused her hair, ignoring the stare of a passing male. Oerba was populated, and flowers bloomed in every box and garden. The ocean was active, some villages playing in the waves and there was no crystal dust on the ground, no Cie'th…

"Is that her?"

"Averia!" For the second time that morning, Lightning sat up startled. Running down the road and carefully avoiding those around her, was a young girl with the same colored hair (and hairstyle, braided over the right shoulder) and identical colored eyes. Her long, tan skirt flapped as she picked up her speed, nearly bowling over the woman turned child.

The girl crushed her in a fierce hug, muttering a mantra of "You're finally awake!" and "You're okay".

"Laura, you are going to kill her." laughed a larger boy, a mop of blond hair pulled into a small ponytail and ocean blue eyes. This was the image Lightning always thought of when Serah told her about Snow as a child; still a meathead with broad shoulders and very, very tall. His white shirt was clearly an adults, covered with a black vest and a belt to hold up too baggy jeans.

_Vanille…Laura….Averia…_

"Shush you, Troy! I've been worried about my little sister." argued Laura, pulling back to inspect the younger girl.

_Troy…_

"Oi, Vanille was right, Sleeping Beauty did wake up."

_Fang!_

It had to be Fang. The emerald eyed girl was the same height as the pinkette, wearing a long black tank top and blue shorts. Hair as wild as her personality tumbled down her back to the tops of her thighs, held by a band at the very bottom. Her customary sari was missing, replaced by a pale green hip scarf.

On her arm, was the little pigtailed girl, light pink dress falling to her bruised knees.

There was… positively no way.

OOOOO

Hope fretted, chewing on the tip of his glove while he paced the small room. He knew he would eventually chew through the leather, but at that point didn't care. Lightning had been out for nearly another full day. Her fever, thankfully, had broken mid morning, but her mind and body refused to wake; the woman hadn't shifted an inch!

He had tried cures, he had tried Esunas, he had even combined his magic with Vanille and Sazh with no response. She just lay there, still.

"You go one more lap and I'm kicking you from the room." warned the elderly black man as he rubbed oil into his gun. Easily ignoring the glare, Sazh leaned back in his seat. "We're worried too. But our two Pulsian guides went out to try and find something, okay? And Snow might be right, maybe she's just catching up on sleep." There was an answering 'kweh' from the elder's afro.

"…..That is suppose to make me feel better?"

"Listen, Solider Girl doesn't sleep much and is always active. It's about time her battery ran out. Besides, that Fal'cie contraption wont start up anyway."

Hope sighed, throwing himself (very teenager like) onto the yellow sofa. As much as it made Sazh happy to see the boy act like a kid, sometimes he worried about Dajh acting the same way. Hey, at least it was experience for the future… if they ever saw it. "I can't believe you trust _Snow_."

"What other choice do we got?" Sazh threw a look over to the immobile leader.

* * *

_**(*)**If you have played through the Final Fantasy (Final Fantasy 8 to be exact) series, you should know who Edia Cramer's name is played off._

_If you don't, Edia's name is from Edea Kramer, the Sorceress from FF8. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Edited as of May 12, 2o11**

Well... my cold went away but a slew of new medical issues arose (not even connected to my cold). Sorry for such a late update guys. I am trying, and this is probably one of my favorite fanfics I've written in a long time. I wont say I'll never put it on haitus, but I really do writing in it when my brain sparks to life. ;D

**Warnings:** This chapter is very much unbeta...ed (I dunno if that is a word or not but I like it. xD). I was gonna said it to a friend, but my documents don't like her computer and vice versa. I have reread it a few times to get the worst, but I might have missed a few things. Please do not maim me. Dx Hahahahaha.

This chapter can also be very confusing. There is a point to everything that is going on though.

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Final Fantasy 13. Almost every fanfic between Fang and Lightning sums up what I'd want to happen if I did own it. xD

* * *

"So… you asked Snow if you could hit on Lightning?" Vanille questioned, mulling over her words carefully, and plucking small, black leaves from a plant hanging over the water's edge. Behind her, Fang had wound her fingers into the fabric of the younger girl's pink top incase she were to pull an ungraceful stunt and fall into the dancing waters of the Subterranean Lake. Fighting Bismarck to save the girl didn't seem too…thrilling, though she would do it without thought.

The warrior women snorted, twirling her lance mindlessly while observing the surrounding floating rocks for creatures. The monsters in the area were more docile then most, keeping to themselves unless someone intruded on their territory. Snow was on official look out, but he had wandered to the other side of the rocky landing to inspect a chest they had missed on their way through. Lightning had been in such a hurry to leave the area…. "Not in those words exactly."

"Close enough." Snow laughed. The Pulsian rolled her eyes, tightening her grip as Vanille bunny hopped closer to the edge, the tips of her boots hanging inches over the edge.

In fact, 'hit on' had been far from what Fang had really said and/or used, and the big lug knew it. She had asked more along the lines of 'If we survive this whole ordeal, would you mind if I took your future sis-in-law out for lunch or somethin'?' (Though, she was dead set on completing their focus, it was nice to hope). Of course, that didn't stop Fang from openly teasing, bordering line flirting with the woman, or being there whenever Lightning really needed her. For instance, being the first to volunteer to be the soldier's body guard when she had first gotten sick.

Fang could exactly pinpoint the time she had found out she had some sort of feelings for Lightning; when the soldier had offered her hand to Fang and fought Bahamut. After she had turned on the group and was very close to attacking them. Even now, the raven haired woman had her doubts about the whole 'defying their Focus'. Light knew this, yet she still trusted her.

Though she felt it, the warrior hadn't put her feelings into words, and when she did, it was completely by accident.

"_Yo, big guy." The warrior jumped on the rock next to the brawler, crossing her legs and balancing her staff across her thighs. She was in for a long, boring night, that was for sure. Only enemies she had seen were a family of Gorgonopsid and they had scampered off hours ago. Nighttime in the Yaschas Massif tended to be quiet._

_Crashing into the ground had helped scare any beasties away too._

_Snow gave a tired salute, cracking his knuckles. "Well, well, we're safe with our sleeping guard." Fang teased, leaning back on her arms. Oh well, boring meant she could try to organize her thoughts and make backups plans to Lightning's initial ideas._

"_Hey, tired can sometimes be good. I sleep through Sazh and your snor- ow." He held his head where the Pulsian had jabbed her lance._

"_I don't snore."_

"_That's not what Rygdea said." The large man chuckled, grunting when the weapon once again met the back of his skull, a little more forcefully. Fang had to grin though. Snow was one of the few people she could tease who would tease back without getting angry._

_And his head was hard enough she could hit him without fear of killing him._

_A comfortable silence fell over the two. The warrior thought the man would have left by know, but instead he had taken out that crystal jewel he kept with him and fidgeted with when he had something on his mind. "I'm sorry about Serah." Fang felt the need to say._

_Snow held the crystal tear up to the light of Cocoon. "She's not angry, so I can't be either. Shit happens." Silence. "I do have a question though?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Why do you…If we can defy our Focus…" He trailed off, still looking through the crystal tear._

_When he didn't say anything more, the woman shrugged and drawled, "I don't want Vanille or Light to turn into a Cie'th. She doesn't deserve it." When Snow turned to stare at her wide eyed and mouth opened, the darker woman raised an eyebrow. Had his brain fried with her simple answer? Honestly, he must have _something_ in there. "What?"_

"_You just said 'I don't want Vanille or Light'-"_

"_No I didn't."_

"_Yes you did! Quote "I don't want Vanille or Light to turn into Cie'th"! Sence when did sis get added into that?" The warrior felt her mouth open and close, no words forming in her mind or on her lips. For once, she was speechless. Did she say that? No, she couldn't have. Light was just a viper from Cocoon…Oh fu… Snow was smiling at her widely. "You like sis?"_

"_Shuddup. I do not like Lightbulb like that." Snow's grin couldn't get any bigger, and instead of stabbing him in the face like she oh so desperately wanted (Light might like that too…wait! No! Bad Fang!), she jumped off her rock, grabbed Snow by his stupid coat and forced him against the rock painfully. Snow did something no one would dare dream of doing; he laughed and tapped the tear shaped crystal against Fang's forehead._

"_I think you need to talk to Serah." Serah? Why on Gran Pulse would she need to do that?_

_Out of instinct, when the mammoth of a man let the crystal drop, Fang stepped back to catch it. The brawler took his chance, wiggled out of the woman's grasp, and running as fast as he could back towards camp._

_Leaving a very confused and angry Pulsian with Serah…_

After a while, the wild haired woman had finally calmed down. It had taken all of her shift to gather her thoughts, and in the end, Fang had to hang her head in defeat. She did like the older Farron.

At first, the warrior had been rather worried about the idea. She didn't know if she was interested in Light for herself, or she liked her because the soldier looked like Averia. And for the next two days, she stayed clear of both Villiers and Farron (after giving Serah back to her finance and punching him in the face). It wasn't until she spoke with Vanille that she knew that she loved Lightning for herself. From there, it just got worst.

Watching the soldier girl fight… it made Fang's heart pound furiously against her ribs. All her steps and leaps were coordinated like a vicious dance. Each kill only an actor in a ballet, while Light was the star. The two could dance through enemies without a word to each other. The soldier being easy on the eyes was helpful too; her body was agile and strong, and more alluring than it really should have been…

"Hello~ Earth to Fang! We're finished here!" Vanille laughed, waving her hands in front of her older sister's face. "You can think of Light's bellybutton ring after we get her up and moving!"

"Sis has a bellybutton ring?"

Fang raised a dark eyebrow, tearing her thoughts away from the strawberry soldier and ignoring Vanille's smirking eyes. "You didn't know?"

Throwing his hands up defensively, the blond brawler exclaimed, "I don't exactly look there! And Serah never mentioned it…"

"But it's right there! With all her flips you can see it easily."

"I don't make it a habit to watch my fiancé's sister."

"Good boy. I might have had to hit you." Fang easily hopped over the gap between the rocks, holding out a hand to catch the red headed Pulsian as she jumped down. "Where to next?"

Vanille raised her arm, jumping around playfully while pointing in the direction of their next destination. "Vallis Media!"

OOOOO

A day turned into a week, and a week turned into two. The eldest Farron sat on her bunk, scribbling answers onto the grammar sheet she had been assigned for makeup homework. The school's only teacher didn't want the girls, the Mei sisters, to fall behind in their studies, so she had given them both a list of homework and access to all the textbooks they would need; which different people would periodically wander into her 'home' and give to her.

Unlike her 'older sister', Lightning had decided to do all her homework right away. She had nothing better to do until she woke up… or whatever it took to get out of hallucinations. The soldier had long given up thinking of this world as a dream. She felt everything; heat, cold, the breeze from the ocean, pain…

Weirder things had happened… it would not surprise her if this was one of Barthandelus' tricks. Vincent, and her sickness, were most likely more tricks. Just more Fal'cie smoke and mirrors. Lightning didn't like the idea, but she knew she would have to simply live with it until she figured a way out.

_When did I stop fighting? Am I really going to just sit here and wait for someone to rescue me?_

_**What else can you do? You do not have enough information to formulate a plan, and you are weaker in this body than your own.**_

_Thanks for the vote of confidence. _Lightning thought dryly.

"That's wrong." Lightning jumped. Beside her, little Vanille was sitting on her heels by the bed with tiny arms wrapped around her knees, craning her head to see the paper. "The answer is 'heart', not 'knife'."

The woman turned child looked at her assignment, re-reading the scratchy text. Pulsian characters were so…confusing. She had taken the language class in high school, and further pursued it in the military, but that didn't make some of the words any less frustrating to translate. The little girl had been correct though. Lightning jotted the answer down…

"No, that line goes there." Little Vanille snatched the pencil away from Light. With a practiced hand, she wrote the word down. "You had the right idea though. The knife radical is in 'heart'. This is how you do it!" The girl stuck the pencil back into Light's hand before directing the captured appendage in the correct way to write the character.

"Um… thanks."

The brightest of smiles lit up on the small child's face as she giggled into her palm. "I like learning the languages of the past, and Fang isn't very good at it so I like being able to help her."

"Yeah… she never seemed the book type." Lightning smirked, pushing her rose colored braid over her shoulder.

If possible, the grin of Vanille's face grew. "You aren't scary at all!" She leapt up and wrapped her thin arms around the older girl's shoulder. Lightning stiffened, but the red head didn't seem to notice or ignored it. "You looked and sounded so scary! Laura said you were acting differently and Troy kept saying 'Cocoon ghosties are in her head'. I kept saying you were probably shy, but Fang believed Troy over me! She doesn't like outsiders." Rolling off the bed, and taking most of the blankets and books with her, Vanille dragged on Lightning's arm. "C'mon, c'mon! Lets prove her wrong, Averia! Let's go play with the others!"

The soldier couldn't break the child's grip if she wanted too.

Little Vanille ran no less enthusiastic than her older version; a hop/skip with her arms way out in the air. She bounced gracefully off the metal steps, waiting at the bottom as Lightning made a much slower exit. The girl had just as much energy as ever, swaying back and forth.

The moment the soldier's feet hit the ground, Vanille started dragging her down the road to where- if Lightning was correct- the school stood. It never ceased to amaze Light that this little town, bustling with activity and fully alive, was the Oerba she knew. The two walked around a small cluster of women, some wearing jeans and t-shirts while others wore more ethnic garbs, chattering excitedly about one thing or another. Vehicles Lightning had only ever seen in picture books lined the road, and the tell tale grumble of a train could be heard over the crashing waves.

"There they are~ There they are~ Faaaaaaaaang!" the heavily accented voice sang. She untangled herself from the other, rushing to the teen that had hauled herself over the low wall. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Vanille waited until the elder had stable footing before hugging her.

Laughing, Fang ruffled orange locks. "I see ya brought Sleeping Beauty with ya."

"I did! I invited her to play with us!"

The wild haired teen arched an eyebrow. "Looks more like ya dragged her here."

"I kinda did! But it's not good to stay inside all day and she's not as scary as you said she would be! She's not from Cocoon either!" Vanille exclaimed.

"Ya never know… she could still be possessed by Cocoon spirits."

"Will you quit talking about me like I'm not here?" Lightning growled, unintentionally puffing her cheeks in a childish manner.

"Well, she's too spineless for a Pulsian. Why don't ya make me, Sleeping Beauty." Fang sneered. Vanille frowned, protesting loudly to her sister. But Lightning wasn't listening. Her own devilish grin had found its way onto her young face. Younger Fang wouldn't know about her punches, and little or not, they would probably still hurt.

_Yes._

Fang crumpled to the ground, swearing profusely while clutching her tanned arms around her stomach. Her now throbbing stomach. Lightning grinned as she rubbed her aching knuckles. These hands had never fought. Apparently 'Averia' wasn't much of a fighter. "You were saying?"

Vanille looked worriedly between the two, kneeling next to her sister and looking on the verge of tears… until Fang started laughing. A gasping, breathy chuckle. "Etro… she hits hard…" Stumbling to her feet, the wild haired child smiled widely. "Ya pass the test, I suppose. Come on over and join us. We're playing Freeze Tag. Your sister is already over there." Leaping neatly over the stone wall, the older Pulsian escorted her younger sister to where a small fenced in area hung over the crashing waves of the ocean.

"Haha. That encounter is always very interesting." A large hand handed on Lightning's rose colored head, ruffling the hair affectionately. Sapphire eyes met reddish gold, shocked expression meeting amused. Time seemed to freeze. Lightning, who only seconds before stood at the man's waist, now glared strait into his eyes. Her chest flared in pain as her brand scarred her pale skin once more. "Fang's _initiations_ are a bit odd. She somehow trust those more who physically attack her. She was such an weird child…woops."

Vincent ducked the fist swung at him, catching the thin limb and twisting his body just _so_, trapping the captured arm against his side and his free hand pushing against her bared throat hard enough to choke, but not to kill. "I really don't want to hurt you, Lightning."

"What the hell is going on?" the woman snarled.

"A project. A gift. A blessing." Vincent shrugged, frowning. "I need you to help me… it will save Oerba. It will possibly save Gran Pulse! Matron… everyone will be okay. Fang and Vanille will not ever have to become Ragnarok…"

"What if I refuse." was the choked remark. _Vanille and Fang becoming Ragnarok? What?_

Vincent's eyes clouded. "You don't have a choice. Enjoy it while it last. It's a second chance for you to be a child once more."

The world around the two seemed to warp. Lightning felt herself shrinking and her brand fading, saw her hair darkening. While Vincent, gazing at the drooping sky above, merely disappeared into nothingness, leaving the woman stranded with no answers as the world caved in on her.

OOOOO

"C'mon, Averia. Snap out of it." the soldier girl jumped, immediately bringing her fist up to strike the person that had so gently touched her shoulder. Long fingers wrapped around her own, stopping the fist from connecting with the concerned face of Fang: who in the last few hours seemed to have shot up a few inches.

_On that note… when did it get so dark? And how come I don't remember going back to the Orphanage?_

"Ah thought ah told you never to wake her when she's sleep walking." Matron scolded quietly, carefully letting go of Lightning's captured limb. Fang rolled her eyes.

Hands once again touched her shoulders, spinning the very confused girl around. Light, who didn't like being so confused, scowled darkly at the ground, ignoring the matron's concerned gaze. She wanted out of this hallucination. Now. She wanted to introduce Blaze Edge to Vincent. Why hadn't her friends busted through yet? Was it even possible…?

"Fang, why don't you go back to sleep." The tall woman instructed, clasping Lightning's hands in her own. When the wild haired child started to argue, Edia shot her a firm look that left no room for argument. The teen sighed and crawled up to the right most middle bunk, snuggling close to a snoozing Vanille.

"Ah have a project you can help me with until you fall asleep. How does that sound, Ava?" Edia shuffled the girl to the table in the middle of the room, drawing the curtain that separated the sleeping area from the small living room. "Vanille's birthday is coming soon, and she's always wanted a pet. Sadly, your sister and myself are very much allergic to dogs… and ah fear she'd kill anything else." Lightning was set down on one of the chairs while the Matron took the seat beside her, picking up a screwdriver. "So, ah thought of making her a robot. Well, it was Vincent's idea-"

"Where is Vincent?" Lightning interrupted, crossing her legs and arms. She had a bone to pick with that man.

"Don't you remember? He left last month to go to New Dollet." Matron placed her screwdriver down, brushing Lightning's bangs back… at which she flinched at. Lightning had opened up a lot… but touching and letting people into her personal space was still new too her. Everyone just accepted it…

But the raven haired giant of a woman seemed more worried then before. "Must have been a very bad dream. You scared Fang half to death, scared me too." When Lightning didn't answer, Edia smiled sadly and stuck a screw driver in the former soldier's small hand. "We'll talk when you are ready, Averia."

_Doubt that… I don't even understand what is going on myself._

"But for now, ah need assistance!" With a large smile, the matron bent down to retrieve a box on the ground. She peeked behind her shoulder to make sure everyone was snoozing. "Ah'm not good with mechanics, but Troy can't keep a secret. Vincent is going program the little guy with Ebara's father when he gets back."

With a flourish, Edia lifted a half finished robot from it's cardboard hiding place and placed it on the table, dumping the rest of the components beside the half worked metal. "Ah don't have a name for it, but it's not everyday someone turns twelve. And Vanille has been a very good girl."

"Bhakti." Lightning breathed, looking at the half finished rabbit looking robot.

"Oh my! That is a cute name! See, ah knew you would be good." the matron laughed. "It's hard to believe… Fang turned fourteen last week, Vanille is turning twelve. You and Laura will have been here six months tomorrow too." with a sigh, the woman started tinkering with Bhakti, unaware of Lightning's trembling and distant eyes.

Éclair 'Lightning' Farron wasn't afraid of much. A professional spider and bug squisher at home, with life in the military had stripped her of a lot of fears. However, this revelation had truly terrified the woman turned child; She had been stuck in a hallucination/dream/nightmare for half a year?

* * *

Oh noes! Poor Lightning! And what is up with Vincent? Is he working for the old man in the funny hat? Stay tuned!

**Question time:** What do you think 'Mei' (Averia and Laura's last name) means?


	5. Chapter 5

**Edited as of May 12, 2o11**

It took me 3 months to plan the BEGINNING of this chapter. xD I had everything else except for the opening because I screwed myself over with how I ended chapter 4. And I really wanted to introduce my favorite summon of all time at some point. Sorry for the wait though. Hope it doesn't disappoint! Also, I hated the lines between segments, so I changed them to OOOO. I'll only use the lines for the beginning and the end.

**Warnings:** Childishness, mind games, evil summons. This is also very much unbeta-ed. I got the worst of it I believe.

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Final Fantasy 13 though if the creators were randomly giving out gifts and decided I could get the rights I would be happy!

* * *

"You are going to break your little toy, foolish one."

Vincent refused to acknowledge the presence of the intruder, keeping his eyes shut tight while trying to focus on the task at hand. He hoped the owner of the voice would leave him in piece like every other time it had goaded him.

But this time the clapping of hoofs came towards him instead of away. The fog around the male's legs twisted as his Eidolon steadily walked to him and wrapped tanned arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. Long, strait black hair skimmed over Vincent's arm, a low, all to familiar voice mumbling into his ear. "You have more power than your ancestors, but you can still not change what has become, foolish one. Give up and let me take you to the sleep you deserve."

Vincent pulled away roughly, growing "Shemhazai, get rid of that form at once."

The visitor, Shemhazai, laughed: a loud, cruel sound that resounded throughout the world of Limbo. Vincent knew exactly what the spirit was doing; she was flicking her hair away from her face and crossing her arms across the chest of her button up black dress. "I was led to believe you would enjoy this form. The body of your precious mother." His hand curled into fist. He knew this game; they had played it often. However, this time Vincent wouldn't be distracted. Instead he focused more on his task, valiantly ignoring the Eidolon's taunts. She would not physically hurt him, he was her L'cie.

He had to make Lightning help him. She was the only one who he could trust to do this mission. She was strong, resourceful, and determined. The solider had a connection to the past and the present, while having a similar link to Limbo and Paradise. Vincent would change the future. He would save his family, her home, his mother…

The white haired man did not see the grin that split across Shemhazai's face or hear her retreat back into the blackness.

OOOOO

After the death of Mr. and Mrs. Farron, Lightning had been determined to harden herself so that she would never be hurt again. Emotions were weak and held one back, ailing more than they ever aided. Unintentionally, she had pushed Serah away and missed a large portion of her youth in the process.

Her time as a L'cie had changed the once stoic soldier girl, starting with her realization of what Cocoon was. Almost all the barriers had been broken and burned over time. Crushed by the others who shared her fate. They had all shown her in their own way, and Lightning had slowly opened. Some nights, she would joke with Sazh, or poke fun at Snow when he did something idiotic. Once she had even played a game of cards with Vanille and Hope, chuckling whenever Vanille pouted at her winning hand.

Hope was like a son or a little brother; Vanille a good friend. Snow was…well… Snow. Sazh was an uncle, and Fang…

Fang had somehow forced Lightning to open up in new ways. From the very first instant the soldier saw the warrior, she had been more at ease with her than with anyone else. "Those two just click." Sazh had pointed out once, not thinking that the strawberry haired woman had heard him "They move like they have been fighting together forever". Funny, sometimes it felt like that.

The warrior also got on Lightning's nerves the most. They argued over pointless subjects, often having polar opposite views on everything:

_"If we go east, then we'll just circle back. We should just stick to the main tunnels."_

_"Well, Lightbulb, if we 'stick to the main tunnels' we run the risk of getting squashed. I'd rather not be scraping you guys off the walls, thanks." The pinkette glared at the taller women, hand on her hip. Reprimanding her of those annoying nicknames never amounted to anything but more stupid titles. Fang wasn't even looking at her, just looking to the fresh path Atomos had carved. Behind the two, Vanille and Snow were inspecting one of the many glowing crystals, seemingly trying to stay out of the impending fight. "Besides, I lived here. I would think I would know where I'm going."_

_"That was five hundred years ago though, right?" Hope piped in._

_"You stay out of this."_

_"You said that about that path on the Steppe too, and led us into a nest of Tonberries."_

_"Once, Light! Once!"_

_Sazh, knowing there would be no end to the bickering posed a sensible suggestion of splitting up. Fang would lead one team down a tunnel, and Lightning would lead the other. The rather cleaver Vanille also pitched that they could leave bits of the glowing crystals on the ground so that neither group would get lost._

_Of course both paths ended up leading outside, only a few hundred yards from each other._

Lightning currently regretted the attachment she had formed with her fellow L'cie. If she hadn't had opened up so much, changed herself, the woman would have possibly been able to handle her current situation with ease. Years of training should have prepared her to adapt to the environment she was stationed in and made sure she kept a cool head. She wouldn't be missing and worrying over people she had barely known a few weeks.

The Lightning before Serah's crystallization, and after her parents death, would have been better suited for the distress that had clamped like a vice around the soldier's mind. As the strawberry blonde paced the sand, hands fisted in the currently rose colored locks, she tried to think…plan…any solution to escape her current predicament. But thoughts of her friends kept invading. Six months altogether…what had happened to the others? Were they all alright? How far had their brands progressed? Averia's body did not have the mark of a L'cie; she couldn't tell.

Too absorbed in her thoughts, Lightning didn't see the little boy that was staring at her in awe. He was very young, with a dark skin and eyes, eyes that were currently as large has his little fist. With a gleeful cry, the child ran across the sand. "Ava! Ava!"

Of course, the woman was not paying attention and the boy careened into her legs, sending the two down in a spray of sand. "Woops, you aren't Ava. You are the Faerie. Sorry Faerie!" The child laughed. He however did not move from his position of sitting on Light's hip, using his feet to balance. The soldier groaned trying to sit up without forcefully pushing the child off. Giving up, she fell back onto the ground. She was already tired (mentally at least).

_Funny… he looks like Sazh. He even has that ugly afro…_The soldier frowned at the thought. In how everyone else's age was portrayed, it would not have surprised her to find out that the child was his Gran Pulse look alike.

"Faerie, are you alright?"

"Other than you sitting on me?"

The child frowned. "If I get up you'll run away. Faeries like to do that. Even faeries that live inside someone else's body."

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "Faeries?"

"Yeah! You know, spirits that grant wishes and protect people and stuff! Matron says Vanille looks like one sometimes, but Ava has pink hair so I said 'I think Ava is a faerie'. She just laughed at me and says 'Maybe she is, sometimes it's like she's an entirely different person'." The boy paused, putting a finger on his lower lip. "After that she said 'ah probably shouldn't have said that. Forget ah did'." Lightning opened her mouth to ask a question, but the younger plowed on. "So! I had some deep re…fleck…chi…on time over my ice cream and figured out that the Ava who couldn't remember and didn't smile as much MUST be the faerie. Also, Ava doesn't like to fight, yet Troy said that sometimes her first instinct is to hit someone- Daddy says hitting is wrong- Like the day she punched Fangy in the tummy. Ava wouldn't even play hit her! She said she didn't want to get beat up! She doesn't like to run, fight… she likes to swim though. She's like a fish. But Ava is also nicer than you, Faerie. She gives me hugs and kisses and whenever I call she always hears me! Everyone said that they would always protect me! Even ones that have parents! Even though I have a daddy! But daddy is a long ways away! I haven't seen him in a long time. He went to New Dollet a long time before Vin to help fight against vipers. I wanted to go because they are just snakes and I can punch them like daddy but he said no. Vin promised me he'd take me out some time to see a Cie'th stone. Have you ever seen one, Faerie? Well, you must have sometime before you went into Ava's body. Does Ava know you are in there? I asked her but she just looked at me like I was silly. But I KNOW she doesn't remember coming here! Well… that is what Fangy told Laura once. Law doesn't really like you, Faerie." Lightning wondered how a child could talk without breathing. "Because you aren't Ava, you don't know my name, right? I'm Ebara! Ebara from Windhill and Oerba. What's your real name, Faerie?"

The soldier was stunned into silence. Lightning could remember meeting everyone as Averia, but she couldn't remember the past six months. Averia hadn't the slightest idea…

"Oh right! Faeries can't give out their names! It's against the rules right? Well! You don't have to tell me-"

Lightning didn't know what part of her very muddled mind made her mouth open and say "My name is Éclair. Uh… my family calls me Claire…"

If possible, Ebara's eyes got even bigger. "You gave me your name… a faerie gave me her name! You must like me a lot! I will keep your name a secret, kay Faerie? We can't have anyone else knowing until you trust them!"

The woman leveled a look at the boy then did something she rarely did, she laughed. Not just her 'Sunshine chuckle' as Fang had dubbed it, but a full belly laugh. Everything was so impossible! Only moments ago, Lightning felt like the world was crushing her. And yet, this boy had run into her and knew that she was not Averia. Claiming that she was her own person and a mythical creature. Ebara sounded so much like Sazh had told them about Dajh, but he also seemed like the old man when they had first met. Hadn't he jumped on her at one point during the Purge?

For just a second, everything felt like it was going to be okay. After all, she was a supposed faerie. The idea bought another round of chuckles with Ebara accompanying her.

OOOOO

Fang leaned against the stairs, hidden by the shadows of the overhang, just within hearing of the two laughing forms in the sand. Well, that had been unexpected. She fiddled with the scissors in her hands. It did explain a lot. "Of course, it's probably split personalities." the wild haired girl muttered. She liked the faerie idea more though.

Rubbing the back of her neck, the tanned girl stepped out from her hiding spot. "Averia! I need your help!" Fang called, clutching the scissors tightly by the blade as she jogged. Once Ebara had pointed out everything she and the others ignored, well, she couldn't really go back to completely acting like she hadn't heard. She would act like she would any other day, but watch closely for any changes. Maybe Laura would stop being such a… word she shouldn't use but knew exactly what it meant and would fit perfectly.

Fang's thought process stopped. Should she tell Vanille? The idea disappeared as quickly as it came. She would tell her little sister someday.

"Fangy! You shouldn't run with scissors! You could fall! And and… I dunno what would happen…"

"I could hurt myself very badly." The girl winked in the Faerie's direction, who was quickly coming down from her laughter. It disappointed the wild haired girl for a few seconds, Averia always looked prettier with a smile. Pushing that thought aside as well, Fang whined. "My hair is getting out of control!" No warrior should have long hair! It could get caught in something! "And Matron wont cut it. Can you just hack it off?"

Averia looked uncertain but stood up and took the scissors from Fang, who happily turned around. The real Averia would never have even listened to the idea (everyone liked her long hair, yet she couldn't stand it), but the Faerie took a handful of hair in her fist. "How much do you want off?"

"Ava why is your face red?" Ebara asked innocently. Fang heard the scissors snap close, wincing slightly.

"Aw, does Averia like my hair? I know I have the best but it's just in the way. How much did you cut off?" The clippers were hastily shoved into the taller girl's hands while the smaller turned away. Not fast enough; Fang saw the pink tint to her cheeks. And though not understanding why, smiled brightly.

"About shoulder length."

"Awesome. Matron will fix it up. Thanks Ava!"

OOOOO

Vincent frowned. He hadn't been there at that moment, so he did not know if anything had changed. It… didn't seem likely. Ebara was a child, and Fang had become rather protective of Averia after that encounter. He could only assume nothing had changed. It was a disappointing thought. Apparently Lightning and Averia acted too similar in that instance.

"I'll have to keep her in this time longer."

"No!"

"Shemhazai, I don't want to play games." The silver-white haired male turned expecting to see his summon, but only blackness met him. No clip clop of the Eidolon's invisible hooves, noo laughing. Something flicked along the edges of his vision, but when he turned his head, it was gone.

If the male had been focusing, he would have notice that the voice was not the same has his Shemhazai and he would not have missed the rage that flooded the simple word.

* * *

I loved Ebara's rant. xD My brother did that to me on halloween and it just fit in so well. Ebara and Shemhazai have turned into my favorite characters at the moment.

Oh right. The 'Mei' used for Averia and Laura's name means Wild Rose. But the name with similar chinese character means Blossom. Jasper guessed it right! I did not know about 'Darkness' (thank you Zafia) which is Japanese, though not as commonly used. A friend told me that 'Mei' could mean 'sisters' too, but she couldn't remember what language! So Coldsteel, if you know, drop me a line!

Thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews too! They really made me happy!

**Question time:** Who do you think looks more like a faerie in the game? (and how come I have the feeling I'm going to get some weird answers? xD)

Also check out Final Fantasy XIII- Episode i-. ;3 It is rather interesting and I believe someone did a translation of it. I think it was Dilly Dally, Shilly Shally.


	6. Chapter 6 redone

**Revised and Edited as of May 12, 2o11**

Hey guys. You were probably all expecting a new chapter, so I'm very sorry! I plan on having chapter 7 out by next month, promise!

Okay, a bit of an explanation as to why this chapter was completely different from the orginal. Short and sweet, I hated the orginal. xD I thought it was sloppy and stupid and it really made me not want to continue the story. In the beginning, I had three possible arcs of how this story was going to go. The arc I picked first started to get on my nerves. So, I scrapped chapter 6, went through all the chapters, edited them, and wrote a completely new chapter 6. This goes with another arc that, after sitting down and completely writing the flow of the story, seemed better suited and a lot more fun.

Plus, I get to introduce past Vincent. I do like that guy, and was kinda bummed when he started annoying me more than being awesome (Averia was also frustrating me).

**ALL** the chapters have been cleaned up **and some have changed or new scenes**. A couple of them are rather important though, so it might be worth checking them out.

_Chapter 1:_ Whole conversation between Fang and Lightning altered, ending redone.  
_Chapter 2:_ This chapter as pretty much been completely altered. The beginning and end being the most changed.  
_Chapter 3:_ Not much changed beside basic editing. Maybe one or two sentences redone.  
_Chapter 4:_ Scene added (flashback), minor changes.  
_Chapter 5:_ Minor changes, ending altered a bit.  
_Chapter 6:_ Completely redone, new question.

I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter! I like this one much better! Get to introduce a few new people, and start an important process.

**Warning**: A little bit of OCC, strong language, violence.

_**Disclaimer:**_ Me no own Final Fantasy 13. If I did, I would be making the sequel a movie instead of a game. I however do own this story.

* * *

Lightning ran a hand over her chest, fingers skimming where her brand should have been. The skin was smooth and unblemished, giving no hint as to the condition of her L'cie family. With a tired sigh, she zipped her shirt back up.

Just because she was stuck in Averia's body did not mean she had to continue wearing the rather stupid dresses the girl often wore. While Fang got her hair touched up by Laura, Light thought a change of clothes was in order and raided the laundry room. It had been a bit of a challenge, but the woman was able to find a pair of jean shorts her size and a zippered red, vest like t-shirt. Light was even able to find a pair of boots that more or less fit.

"Fang, would you _please_ sit still?"

"Nope. Van's boney butt is cutting off circulation to my leg." Fang teased. Vanille, sitting across the older teen's legs, pouted but did not stop her work of trying to tame a few hairs into a small braid on the side of the girl's head.

Light took a seat on the yellow couch next to Ebara, watching him roll his toy cars across his lap. "Laura, what happens if a L'cie who shares a focus dies?"

The older Mei looked up, startled. "Well, it depends I guess. Normally they would turn into Cie'th."

_Great. Would Vincent really send me here if it would turn everyone Cie'th?_

"What if they were to just disappear? Or go into a coma? Or something like that?"

Laura paused, eyebrows scrunching as she thought. In the chair before her, the young warrior raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask, Sleeping Beauty?"

"No reason."

"I would guess that…Um… honestly, I haven't a clue, Ava." Lightning nodded, staring down at her lap.

Abandoning his cars, Ebara sat up on his knees, motioning for the pinkette to lean over to him. He cupped his hands around her ears, whispering gleefully. "Another Faery told me that Éclair's friends were okay. She said they wanted her to come home though. Are you going to leave us again, Faery?"

The sapphire eyed teenager gave the child a wide eyed glance. Another Faery?

_But my family is okay._

Her more sensible side told her that he couldn't possibly know, but something within Light made her believe he was telling the truth. Her gut feelings were rarely wrong. The soldier shook her head leaning forwards to whisper, "I don't know when I'll be leaving. Thank you, for telling me about my friends."

Something came down hard on Light's head, fingers ruffling her hair roughly. "Eh eh, no secrets. Spill."

"That may work on Vanille, but it doesn't for me." the woman turned teen knocked the hand away. Laura had done a wonderful job with Fang's hair, it looked like how Light was use to seeing it; wild.

"I'm bored, can we go play something now?" The red head pleaded with wide grass green eyes and hands clasped in front of her. Apparently, no one could turn her down in this time either…

OOOOO

The last time the soldier had played the game of Hide and Seek without the threat of getting killed was when she was, ironically, fourteen. She use to be wonderful at it too, knowing exactly where to hide and the fastest way to the safety point. It had helped her when she joined the military, when hiding meant saving your skin.

Initially, Light had really not wanted to play the game. She was curious of a library in the basement of the school, faintly wondering if there was a way she could get home herself. But the instructor had said children should be playing outside with such nice weather and politely escorted her out of the home. She would just have to try again later.

Carefully, Light moved across the steel roof of a neighbor's home, keeping low and looking for any signs of Troy. Much like Snow, he wasn't very quiet. The girl jumped the small gap between roofs, landing lightly in a crouch. What Averia lacked in strength she made up for in agility and flexibility, thankfully. She had alluded Laura, one of the three young men who had joined their game (Kecht, Naska, and Suron, Vanille had informed her), and a surprisingly sharp teenager with light hair who was passing through the small town to visit her boyfriend.

Lightning lowered herself silently off the roof. She just had to get down to the beach without getting seen or tagged. "Hey." Well, not getting tagged at least. The pinkette bolted, ducking under Troy's large arm as he attempted to tag the girl.

How he had managed to sneak up on her was anyone's guess.

The teen jumped the stairs leading to the beach, managing to put some distance between her and the man, before she had to slide to a halt to avoid bowling over another girl who was playing (and wearing a rather skimpy costume for someone so young). "I hear something in the wind." The silver haired girl muttered cryptically, tanned face turned towards Taejin's Tower

"Oi, Furan. None of that weird riddle stuff." Fang grumbled, running up the beach. "Just say what you mean."

Furan merely stared at the warrior. "It would be best if we leave." The girl didn't wait for their reply before marching swiftly across the sand.

"Find Vanille."

Lightning's eyebrow rose. "What?" She look over to Fang, surprised to see the fear and anger that blazed through her jade like eyes. Facing the tower, the warrior seemed to know exactly what Furon had been saying.

"Find Vanille, then go to the station." Giving her a light shove, the teen ran towards the stairs just as Troy and the boy in the robe, Naska, appeared at the top. "Fang-"

"Yeah yeah, Furon beat you to the punch line." Naska gave the girl a hard look, and when Fang apparently wasn't going to back down, handed her a slightly smaller version of her polearm. "Averia, get going!"

"Not until you tell me what is going on." Lightning put her hand on her hip. She had no intention of moving until she got some answers.

Naska answered shortly, "A small platoon of Cocoon Soldiers managed to slip by the warriors guarding Taejin's Tower. They have almost completely wiped out the next line of guards and are on their way here."

Right, the War of Transgression was being fought around this time. Both Cocoon and Gran Pulse claimed the other to be evil. The people of Gran Pulse believed that Cocoon was created by Lindzei, the devil. While those on Cocoon thought Gran Pulse was inhabited by monsters and horrors beyond their imagination. Lightning had once believed that, hell, everyone thought it was true. But everyone was raised in Cocoon…as pets.

She had learned the other side of the story from various Cie'th Stones, Fang and Vanille themselves, and the few books she had managed to read while in her Oerba.

The War had ended when Ragnarok crack the outer shell of Cocoon, and the Fal'cie turned everyone into L'cie in a ditch attempt to bring the world down. Cocoon, however, ended up winning the war, and a scar had been left upon it's people.

Fang looked pleadingly at the other teen. "Please find Vanille, Ava!"

OOOOO

_You know, if you are going to make the station a safe house, it might be wise to make the actual route there clear. _Lightning mused, drawing little Vanille more into the shadows. They were a mere hundred yards to safety, where Cocoon Soldiers were attempting to force themselves in. At every assault on the metal doors and protective windows, Vanille whimpered and shrunk back further. Every blow earned either a crunch of steel or the crackling sound of glass bending under the pressure.

Light weighed her options; stay there and wait for an opening or make one?

Her choice was decided for her when one guard, armed with a rather large object, jogged towards the hidden girls. He turned his back on them, quickly working to assemble the item. Light knew the object from her training days; a very old fashioned Cocoon bazooka.

At this day and age, the weapon was rather unstable and took long minutes to work, if the soldier recalled correctly. It didn't make it any less dangerous however. At the close range, it could easily decimate the front half of the building.

The soldier had not expected the hit to his under arm, or the kick to his knee. Lightning quickly snagged the standard military assigned rifle at his side, bringing the butt to the weak helmet before turning the weapon around with a flick of the wrist. She didn't hesitate to fire.

In her time, a close range attack with such a weak weapon would have merely dented the helm, injuring at the most. Apparently, Cocoon didn't design their better armor until later. She flipped the gun once more, swinging it around like a bludgeon with all her strength and smashing the weapon into another's head, using the momentum to spin around a third attacker, smirking at the satisfying grunt of the soldier getting shot by his own comrade.

Child or not, Lightning was still a soldier.

The pinkette swapped weapons, opting for the downed soldier's lightweight baton and much higher grade pistol (she was tempted to try and grab a saber, but the weight might have been too much), an Altair, over a cumbersome item she rarely fought with. She quickly dispatched her closer opponent with a well placed shoot in the joint of the soldier's neck armor before turning her attention to the three remaining figures.

Two melee and one long ranged. If I can take out the one shooting, I might be able to get out of this with my body intact. Carefully, the girl dodged a hit from a baton, shooting the man in the arm before being forced to roll away from a hail of bullets and a slash from a saber. Light fired once into the joint of the soldier's arm, disarming of his weapon, and with whack to the head with her own stolen night stick, watched as he crumpled to the ground. She took the opening, lunging over the crippled Cocoon warrior and firing at the ranged weapon user.

When a bullet tore through her arm, Lightning knew there was something wrong; she was slowing down.

Her lungs burned with every breath and her body was beginning to feel like lead. With sweating dripping down her face and grunting in pain, the woman turned child attempted to dodge more bullets when the soldier with the baton swung, catching her in the stomach.

She gasped, doubling for as the pain momentarily crippled her with the bullet wound. "Averia!"

"Another? Quick, take her down before anymore come!"

Lightning growled, pushing down her pain and with her renewed mobility, fired at the gunner aiming towards the little red head. Another piercing pain ran through her arm as the heavy nightstick slammed into her out stretched arm, bone cracking under the force and metal. Crying out, the pinkette clutched the injured limp to herself even as the guard bodily threw her away.

"Shit, little brat got me good."

Vanille ran out of her hiding place, trying to move the trembling teen as the soldiers advanced on the two of them. "Ava! Get up!" The girl pleaded.

"Hey asshole! Why dontcha pick on people your own size, you dick?"

"Vincent!" Despite the sharp stabs of pain, Lightning forced herself onto her knees, allowing Vanille to hug her when the silver-white haired boy landed in front of them. Much younger than the Vincent the pinkette knew, he looked even more like Hope. Small build and a boyish face, the only real difference being the eye color and weapon. Clutched in a heavily protected hand was a very large, four-pointed shuriken.

The boy smiled. "Hey Vanille. Guess you have been keeping out of trouble- woops!" The lethal baton met the metal of his weapon. With a laugh, Vincent's happy go lucky lips turned into a horrible smirk. "You are aware, shit head, that you have completely pissed off two of the more violent warriors here today?" With a quick flip, the warrior swiped his weapon to the side, bringing the other's weapon with it and grabbed the soldier under his helm, fingers curling under the almost unseeable rim. There was a sickening crack as the boy jerked the captured armor to the side, and the man fell to the ground in a broken heap.

Lightning watched the whole ordeal in dazed fascination. The man who had trapped her in this dream, world, whatever, stood before her and had just killed a trained soldier with no effort.

The soldier girl had completely forgotten the gun wielding Cocoon until there was a pained cry followed by the sound of metal grinding through metal and a gurgle. "Averia! Are you okay!" Laura tossed her weapon aside, a bloody scythe that had almost cut the soldier in half, and ran to her 'sister'. She looked the better out of the three, only sporting a dark welt across her cheek and a blacked eye. Fang, covered in multiple cuts, bruises, and favoring her left leg, scoffed, tossing the man's gun to the side and wiping her own blade clean. Vanille ran at her, latching her thin arms around the elder's waste and sobbing.

"Holy Etro, did you do all this, Vince?" a gapping Troy asked as he inspected the bodies. The right side of his face was caked in blood.

"Nah. You know it would have been messier and louder if I had." The man put his hands behind his head, weapon dangling from his index finger. The larger teen winced at Vincent's evil smirk.

Lightning gingerly moved the hand that clutched her broken arm to feel at the bullet wound, silently cursing and thanking whatever deity was up there. A clean shot, the bullet had gone through completely. "Oh Etro, Ava." The older Mei fretted, gently slapping Light's hand away to inspect the wound.

Vanille untangled herself from Fang, bouncing, "Averia did it! They were going to blow up the building with that thing." She pointed to the ignored gun, "She ran out and tried to stop them all by herself."

Lightning winced (coincidently when Laura brushed her broken arm) at Fang's darkening face. Glaring, the young warrior snarled, "I left her to you to watch and you try to act like a bloody hero?"

"Well, if people had been doing their damn jobs I wouldn't have had to cut them down to make a path for her!" The pinkette hissed. She was not in the mood to put up with the other teen's own mood swings.

"Speaking of which, where were the guards?"

Fang ignored them. "And if Vincent hadn't arrived you both would have been killed!"

"Sorry if this damned body can't fight worth shit!" Farron wanted to swallow the words as soon as they left her mouth. Only the wild haired teen's eyes widened, and she clamped her mouth shut over the words that visibly looked like they were trying to force their way through.

Laura hugged her soothingly, "We'll start training as soon as you heal, okay? I am so proud of you for fighting back!"

Vincent went over to inspect the guards he and the other older pinkette hadn't killed. He pulled up helmets, checked the various bullet wounds, threw useful items to the side for Troy to pick up and gather. "Hey, Avs? Vanille wasn't unconscious or lying when she said you killed these guys, did she?"

"Vinne! I was completely awake!"

"Why do you say that?" Lightning questioned, pink eye brow rising.

Shrugging, the man checked a soldier's pocket. "These soldiers are highly trained. They snuck by not only the front line defenses, but also the ten warriors we had in the plaza, and then the six that were guarding the beach. I'm also thinking the guards weren't here because they were killed." He flipped one of the batons, pointing the weapon strait at the teen's head. "Even if you had been able to get a preempted attack, you'd still have to be skilled enough to know how to use these weapons, fight them head on, and avoid most attacks. A skill only well versed would know. All these wounds are made by someone who knows how to fight, and knows all the quirks of these guys' armor. If Averia had done it, she would be on level with Furon, Gideon, Freija, Leona, and myself in terms of skill, and we've been training for a better part of our lives." he didn't look up, only moved to the body of the almost cleaved in half man. He picked up the man's rifle, emptying the chambers. "Her aim is spot on, no hesitation when killing is necessary, but the attacks where she actually had to physically hit are weak." Troy looked over at the girl who's eyes were hardening like chips of ice. "Avs, sorry to say, but I have my doubts that you did this. You hardly know how to walk a strait line and you lack the training."

The pinkette remained quiet. What could she really say? Lightning couldn't exactly tell them she was really a twenty one year old soldier from Cocoon.

"That's…not exactly true." Fang muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I've been helping her spar…and she's been training by herself."

"But she would be well above your level, Fang."

"What the bloody hell does it matter?" Laura yelled, "Let's get her home and to Edia _then_ we'll talk about whether she is or is not capable. Vincent, go see how everyone is in the safe house." Sighing dramatically, the Hope look alike did as he was told.

OOOOO

"Hey." Lightning snapped out of her thoughts as Fang sat down next to her on the beach. Bandaged up and healed by another village L'cie, the girls were free to roam around. The wild haired teen looked at her hands, seeming to struggle with her thoughts. Much like the first time they met, the girl stretched her arms and said quickly, "Sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Farron shrugged her undamaged shoulder. "I would have done the same." _I have done the same. _"Do you feel better now that you've apologized?"

Laughing, Fang ran her hands through her hair, the orange glow from the setting sun dancing on her tanned skin. "Yeah. I just…when I saw you there, hurt, and then Vanille, I just lost it. I should have stayed behind and made sure you both got to safety. Naska's dad got killed, and he was a great guy, but the thought of loosing my sister and my best friend got me so riled up."

Lightning's heart fluttered against her wishes (she blamed being a kid again). Best friend? She hadn't had many friends since her parents died; it was safer to just shut everyone out so she could focus on Serah. Her L'cie family were her friends, but none would proclaim they were best friends…well, maybe Snow would have instead of 'sis'.

"I'm surprised at how few were killed or injured. Only Naska's dad. If Vince and his gang hadn't arrived when they did, we might have been goners."

"Vincent. How long as he been in this village?"

"Eh," The Yun's brows furrowed, "I'm not sure. He was here when I arrived, and that was ten years ago. Though, over the years he's gotten a bit…stranger."

"Stranger?"

"Well, creepy. He's outrageously strong, very dangerous. Well, you saw what he could do." Lightning nodded. "And that was light. It takes him no effort to kill someone, and enjoy it. I think sometimes that power goes to his head. Edia had to 'Slow' him once because he almost killed Leona in a sparring match."

"Edia is a L'cie?"

"Shocked me too." Fang laughed, fiddling with her hip scarf. "She's been a L'cie for as long as I can remember, but her brand has never grown. The maidens of Anima and the Elder believe it's because she was suppose to complete her focus with someone else, but that person went into a coma years ago. Ever sense, her brand hasn't grown."

"_Another Faery told me that Éclair's friends were okay." _Did that mean that their brands weren't growing? Was she in some kind of coma instead of a dream? "Fang, does Vincent have any powers?"

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"Just wondering." a comfortable silence settled over the two, the sun setting into the calm ocean, as if nothing had happened only hours before. The soldier girl mulled over her friend's words. Vincent had sad that he needed her to change the past. Could he have somehow put her in that time? But, he would need to be a L'cie…no, a Fal'cie, to do that.

_**I assure you, Vincent is no Fal'cie.**_

Well, that was at least a bit comforting. "Ava, I got a question for you." Fang turned completely around so that she was facing the other, legs crossed. "You killed and fought those soldiers, right? I mean, Vincent had a lot of info against you, but I trust Vanille's word too."

Light gave a small frown. "I did. I got…tired half way and made a few mistakes though. Thanks for helping me." She lifted her bandaged arms as a point. In the past, she would never have been able to admit her mistakes. It had taken a huge slap in the face to even get her to think that she could be wrong sometimes.

"Well then! I believe ya. Means we gotta toughen you up though! Can't have you falling apart and getting hurt again and I'd rather not be called a liar."

Éclair laughed.

* * *

Oh Vincent, you complete oddball! A side of you is revealed and your craziness is put into the light. Does it explain you being a complete jerk? Who knows!

Hope to see you all in the next chapter!

_**QUESTION TIME:**_ Who do you think Furon, Gideon, Leona, Freija, Kecht, Naska, and Suron are? They are all orginal Final Fantasy characters, see if you can guess who!


	7. Chapter 7

Guys I'm so sorry for the late chapter! This time it wasn't my fault that I didn't keep my promise! I have been trying for moooonths to upload this stupid chapter. I tried my mom's computer, dad's, sister's... Tonight I finally got it to work using internet explorer. So happy I didn't delete that...

Anyway, new chapter! Hope you like! I looked over it a few times but it's not betad.

**Warning:** Vincent's mouth, violence, a bit occness, and it's a bit confusing. Some loose ends wont be tied up until later. =D

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Final Fantasy 13. If I did I... might still be writing this but I still don't own.

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"You aren't planning to go back, are ya?"

The question caught Lightning off guard, giving her sparring partner the perfect opportunity to knock her sword from her hands. It sailed through the air to embed itself into the sand yards from the woman, who merely looked at her empty hand. Well, not _her_ hand, Averia's.

…

"Oi, Gran Pulse to Sleeping Beauty!" The pinkette jumped when a tanned hand tugged her own. "I didn't hurt you or 'nothing, right?" Fang questioned as she looked for any damage she may have caused. It wasn't exactly uncommon for the duo to go too far in their sparring. One or the other normally had some sort of injury by the end of the day, whether it be a black eye or a bleeding gash.

A frown slowly twisted on Light's face but before she could think any further, the teen was tackled from behind, landing with an 'oomph' in a spray of sand.

Every. Single. Day. "Vanille, off."

"But I've been looking everywhere for you two! You ditched us and you aren't running away this time!" The chipper voice exclaimed, obviously planning to stay seated. However, Lightning, use to this, merely grunted, pushing herself up and forcibly dislodging the peppy red head. Fang grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet while Vanille pouted. "Not fair!"

"How exactly is that 'not fair'."

"You are suppose to stay there and let me scold you! And YOU!"

Fang stepped to the side before she could launch her attack, "What'd I do?" The red head crossed her arms.

"You left me to do laundry by myself!"

"…woops."

"Yeah! And we, meaning everyone in our 'little gang', are suppose to be setting up for tonight!" Lightning had to snort. Little gang meant everyone in the orphanage: Vanille, Fang, Laura, Troy, Ebara (as Edia took care of him while his father was away), herself, and much to her displeasure, Vincent.

If anyone ever made her choose between Snow and Vincent, she would have chosen Snow. Without hesitation. At least she could actually hit him when he was being annoying. You hit the red-gold eyed teen and things took a turn for the worst. Light learned very fast that the man she saw everyday was even more unhinged then the one who actually put her there. His emotions controlled him, his moods swinging from goofy happy to homicidal in mere seconds. Add in his rash behavior…

It was Hope if he had actually gone through with Operation N.O.R.A and killed Snow.

After a certain incident two months prior, Lightning made sure that she was never alone with the older male. She wasn't stupid enough to put herself in a situation she didn't think she could get out of. Defying her focus non-withstanding.

Focus. She still had a job to do.

"Seriously Ava, is there anyone home?"

Light batted her best friend's hand off her head. "I'm fine. We need to go help with the decorating, right?"

"Yup! I'm in charge so follow me!" Once again snorting, the pinkette retrieved her practice sword, hooking it to the wide leather belt she wore.

She chose to ignore the emerald green eyes watching her. Light just jogged by, scuffing when at the top Fang caught her in a headlock grumbling about how it was her fault if Edia scolded them again for shirking their duties.

Like they had done almost every night for the last nine months.

OOOOO

Kecht had been chosen by Anima to become a L'cie. The party everyone had been working so hard on was to honor the man and wish him good luck on his Focus. Lightning had never imagined anyone ever celebrating becoming a L'cie.

But there, in the center square of Oerba, all the villagers sat merrily. Cheering loudly, telling stories, or eating and playing games around the large table laden with food or anywhere else they could sit. There were colorful lights strung up between houses and around streetlights to make the whole square brighter. Children danced with sticks that sparkled after being lit, adults drank in Kecht's name, and the star himself was steadily getting more and more drunk with his friends. "If I become a monster, I will sure as hell be the most handsome one out there!" Kecht had proclaimed loudly after his tenth (or eleven, Troy said he lost count and he was the only one even bothering to do that) tankard of Oerbain ale.

"I believe crystal might look better on you though."

"Naaaaaaah, unless I strike a pose." Suron had merely shook his head, growling something when Kecht grabbed his pony tail and yanked on it. The trio Naska, Suron, and Kecht would be leaving the next morning, when the sun came up, to try and fulfill the L'cie's Focus. If he couldn't, his friends were suppose to _dispose_ of him.

Why the hell would that be celebrated?

"Not everyone chooses to have a party, but it makes it easier than just disappearing in the middle of the night." Fang discretely tried to steal on of Laura's fries only to have her hand slapped away.

"Why don't you get your own?" the older Mei asked. She didn't notice that Troy was doing the exact same thing while her head was turned.

The wild haired teen ignored her. She leaned on the low wall, idly playing with Vanille's hair, but looking at her rose haired friend. "So, Averia, are ya going back?"

"Of course she is. She promised to go with me. We go every month!"

"Doesn't mean she has to go this time."

Light spoke up hoping to quell the bickering before it got into a bigger argument. She _had _promised Laura she would go Paddraean Archaeopolis again…even though she had no real clue as to why they went once a month. It was something Serah would do though. "Yeah, I'm going."

"But ya don't have too y'know."

"Aw, is Fangy worried that Ava wont love her anymore if she goes to the big bad city?" Great… the soldier girl rubbed her temples. Yeah, she'd choose Snow any day over Vincent. Actually, the woman would have welcomed it with open arms and flowers. He grated on her nerves and he knew it.

Apparently he did the same with Fang. She stopped playing with her sister's bouncy pigtails, instead choosing to fiddle with the lance tied to her back threateningly. For all the good it would do; Vincent had proven he could and would kick the girl's ass up and down Oerba. They were still repairing damage as punishment for the fight.

Though, Light mused, Fang was steadily become stronger. And taller. And getting more of a figure…

"Bite me, vamp."

"Is that an offer?"

"No." Fang ground out. She was rising to the bait. "And you're the reason I don't want them going."

"Bitch."

"Psycho."

Time to leave.

OOOOO

Fang viciously stabbed the ground under her, grumbling under her breath about 'stupid homicidal assholes'. Vanille was playing with one of her rods, fishing for Fal'cie knows what and blatantly ignoring the fact she was wearing a rather short skirt to sit cross legged. Lightning, well, she was steadily watching both of them.

Routine. This was all routine. Vincent would get Fang riled up, Vanille and herself would drag said girl away to the school's garden to avoid another no-hold-backs brawl. Tomorrow they would wake up, go to class for a little bit, then go play outside of Oerba. They would be back in time to do some homework, eat dinner, and spar with one another. Fang and Lightning would get too caught up that they wouldn't notice the sun going down and would have to hastily do their chores before Edia came home from visiting someone in some temple, all the while they would blame the other. Vincent would say something and the girls would leave again…The only thing that would be different was that Suron, Naska, and Kecht would not be there.

When had Light exactly accepted this? When she realized she didn't know how to get home and months had passed? She actually…enjoyed it. She liked not having so much pressure weighing her down. She liked being a kid once more and having friends. The bickering Light did with Laura was normal, and her getting pissed off with Troy, Fang, and Vincent seemed like it should always be there.

"_This isn't your goddamned life." The soldier glared at her assailant, trying to ignore the knife that pierced the thin skin of her neck and stain the collar of her shirt red. "You are not the little girl I saved from that village. I don't know who the fuck you are, but you are not Averia. You are not a damned Faery either."_

_Ebara was crying, pulling on Vincent's pants with all the strength in his body. When that didn't work, he started hitting, kicking, biting, but nothing was making the man budge. Lightning didn't even dare move either, not with the grip on her hair or the object that was very close to killing her._

He was right, this wasn't Lightning's life. Dream, past, alternate world… this was Averia's life. Lightning had a life. She was suppose to be fighting her focus with her friends, trying to save Serah. Stop Barthandelus, destroy Sanctum. Lightning knew what was going to happen here; Ragnarok was going to try to destroy Cocoon and everyone would turn into a Cie'th. Vanille and Fang would be turned into crystal and she and the others would die.

No, Averia and the other's would die. Éclair wouldn't be born for another five hundred years.

Her father would pass away before she turned fifteen, her mother after. Lightning would avoid the truth and try to become an adult, try to act as Serah's mom and dad instead of a big sister. Later Serah would turn into a L'cie and the elder would have a stick shoved too far up her ass to even try to help before the worst happened.

Lightning sat down, hard, earning shocked looks from her-Averia's- friends. She hadn't had friends until all this happened. If they changed everything, she wouldn't have met the friends she has now. But was it selfish for her to not try to help here ? Or was it selfish to stay and enjoy a life that wasn't her own? Her life wasn't perfect, but it was her's. Sure, going through puberty again was terrible, but…

Lightning didn't notice that someone was hugging her and another was resting a hand on her shoulder. Didn't realize that she had started crying; something she had never done when she was an adult. Honestly, the pinkette probably couldn't even answer why she was bawling like a kid.

Eventually, she stopped. Vanille was still wrapped around her like an octopus, humming lightly, while the Yun had a knee touching her shoulder. "Fang, you have a thing for playing with hair."

"There was something in it." was the automatic response. That was always the excuse.

Vanille laughed, sounding exactly like her older self. "You love playing with people's hair. If you can't you mess with your own."

"Do not!"

"Do too."

"Don't side with her, Ava!"

Lightning somehow managed to detangle herself from the peppy red head (Serah was a clingy sleeper and Light would deny until she died that she was too). Then without warning, the pinkette whipped out her sword and held it to her best friend's throat. "Oh! I'm gonna go find a spot!" Vanille skipped off while the wild haired Pulsian smirked, pushing the sword away. She detached and opened her lance with a click.

"You cry and then want to fight? Fine then, let's see if ya can do better than this afternoon." the drawl was distinctly Fang. When the soldier girl thought about it, she had never really noticed the accent while there. When she got home, would she still have it?

_**I really hope you aren't planning to have Fang kill you.**_

_Months ago I asked when did I stop fighting and if I was going to just wait for someone to rescue me. Obviously I'm not being rescued so I might as well give what Vincent's idea a try. _Lightning smirked, twirling around one of Fang's attacks.

_**I really, **_**really**_** hope you aren't planning to have **_**Fang**_** kill you. **_

_No, someone else is going to. Just thought I might have another sparring match before I go. I thought you could read my mind? _Thrust forewords, dodge, block, low kick… This was a fight the duo had repeated over and over. They knew what was going to happen and how to avoid it. Lightning had the advantage of fighting a stronger, older Fang, but the younger was still had more strength.

_**Will you freaking kiss her too? **_

_We're fifteen. _The dry look was in perfect match as Fang managed to swipe her feet out from under her. The soldier rolled to avoid a knee to the gut. They never really held back.

_**No, you are twenty-one.**_

_That would make me a pedophile. _"Shit." Ducking, Lightning kicked out, catching her partner in the shins. Fang hissed, unable to move so she landed on the concrete with a thud. The smaller sat on her, sword poised at her throat and a large grin on her face. Éclair was going to be leaving soon, so she'd enjoy it.

"_Why do you have to kick so low? Isn't that against the rules? Below the belt and all that. Jeez, my ass is gonna to be sore for days."_

"_That's what she said." While Fang laughed, remarking that indeed, that was what she had said, Lightning glared. But a well placed ruin spell at the eldest in their band of misfit L'cie had him yelping and running from the newly formed crater. _

_Snow held his hands up. "I warned him, sis."_

_The soldier turned her icy eyes to the other male (Hope having run off with Vanille when the fight had started). "I'm not your sist- move your hand, Fang!" the woman spluttered, swiftly moving off the other woman who promptly sat up and threw her hands in the air. _

"_It worked!"_

"_Real mature…"_

Thankfully, younger Fang didn't think to pull that stunt. Even if Lightning was wearing shorts and not a skirt, one of them would have been sporting a black eye and it wouldn't be her. No, she pulled a new (old?) stunt. Wrapping one hand in Averia's rose colored hair, Fang pushed herself up, knocking the sword away. and quickly pecked the other on the lips. Lightning was stunned enough that when she was hastily pushed off she didn't even notice.

"That was cheap, Fang!" She growled, blushing brightly. In her head, she could hear the voice (so she might have cracked a little) laughing.

The other had a shit eating grin. "But it worked."

"I'm going to kill you."

"You'll haveta catch me and I think your legs are jello. Please, that wasn't even a good kiss." Well, of course the black haired teen had to show her, leaning over to do it again. When she pulled back, she was still smiling. "I've been wanting to do that ever since you pushed me off the dock. Though, you did push me off the dock so I couldn't really do anything…"

"Fang, Vanille, Averia! Oh! There you are!" Edia climbed up the steps huffing. She swiped slightly damp bangs from her face. "Girls, ah need you to help take everything down." Twin 'aws' rang out, Lightning's blush doubling when she remembered that Vanille was still there, but Edia merely pointed a finger to the stairs and Fang knew better than to argue. "Ah need to speak with you Averia. You can go help after."

"I'll see you in a bit, Ava."

Edia watched the teen run off, making sure the red head was following her before turning to the pinkette still on the ground. "Ah can't promise you he wont send you back here." Lightning nodded, picking herself up off the ground. The Matron chuckled at the girl's pink cheeks, golden eyes reflecting the moon and the water that cast a eerie glow in the orbs. "That boy…ah can safely assume you have figured out what you need if you are standing here. Ah prayed you wouldn't be." The dark haired L'cie reached out, gently petting the girl's head. "Are you sure you want to do this? Vincent told me he was just mad that you weren't acting like the Averia he knew and adored. Ah don't mind becoming a Cie'th."

"I need to go back. Vincent was right either way."

"Not about everything, apparently." sighed the Matron. "He has always been strong, and ah am sure he could have done something were he alive. If this is the past, Averia must come back after."

"And if you die in a dream, you wake up."

"Lets hope." Edia pulled the girl into a hug, ignoring how Lightning unconsciously stiffened. "How did you know this was part of my Focus? If you don't mind me asking."

The soldier made herself relax. "I overheard you talking to one of the women from the temple."

The woman sighed, kissing the top of Light's head. "Ah hope everything works out." With that, Edia violently shoved the woman turned child away from her, over the low wall of the garden, and into the sea below. Lightning looked up as soon as she had secured the sword to her belt, catching the faint outline of Anima through the bubbles and salt.

_**I hope this works, sis.**_

_Me too._

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Woo! Some confusion and a lot of loose ends that will be explained later. Hope you liked though. I was debating between Edia or Vincent killing Lightning buuuut I hadn't really thought of a Focus for Edia and what better one. It will make sense later too. And I wonder why Vincent is an idiot. Oh, and we discover who our mysterious voice is. Gotta love Serah. She'll play a bigger part later.

Guys thank you so much for the reviews! I'm sorry I haven't gotten to reply, but that wasn't working either. But I discovered that I can answer them on my phone so I should be able to get back to you!

Jon got three of them right! Kecht, Naska, and Suron are Jeckt, Braska, and Auron (corny, I know). Furan is Fran's romaji name, Gideon Emery is Balthier's english voice actor, Leona is a play of Squall's Kingdom Hearts name (Leon), and Freija is Freya's Japanese name. So! Fran, Balthier, Squall, and Freya~

_**Question Time:**_ Anyone know what happened to Averia?


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